Data Center View - March 7, 2025 - Lightpath acquires UFD

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NEWS ROUNDUP

M&A: Lighpath acquires UFD, announces edge data center expansion. Lightpath has officially closed its acquisition of United Fiber and Data (UFD), significantly enhancing its digital infrastructure footprint. The acquisition expands Lightpath’s presence in the New York Metro and Ashburn markets, bolstering its network capabilities and service reach. With the transaction finalized, Lightpath is launching LightCube Edge Data Centers, modular, secure, and customizable facilities designed to integrate high-capacity fiber infrastructure with Edge compute capabilities. As part of this expansion, Lightpath will upgrade four existing in-line amplifier (ILA) sites along the NYC-Ashburn route to LightCube facilities, responding to surging demand from customers. “This route represents a unique opportunity for customers to connect these critical markets with diversity, latency management, and soon the addition of Edge compute facilities,” said Tim Haverkate, EVP of Major Infrastructure Solutions at Lightpath. Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath, emphasized the company’s continued push to expand both metro and long-haul connectivity.

DISPOSITION: Former Dallas Morning News building sold to a data center firm. A former newspaper headquarters and printing press in Dallas, Texas, is set to become a data center. The Dallas Morning News reports that its former headquarters at 608 Young Street has been sold to an undisclosed data center developer. Ray Washburne, the local investor who acquired the property in 2019, confirmed the sale, stating it was purchased by "one of the major data companies" but declined to disclose further details. The transaction is expected to close in April.

DEVELOPMENT: Diode Ventures plans 620-acre data center in Kuna, Idaho. Diode Ventures is proposing a large-scale data center campus outside Boise, Idaho. The 620-acre campus, named Gemstone Technology Park, is planned near Locust Grove and Barker Roads in Kuna, Idaho. The proposed site is currently zoned for agricultural use, but Kuna’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently voted unanimously to recommend rezoning the land to M-1 light industrial. The proposal will now move to the city council for final approval.

PEOPLE MOVES: TA Digital Group announces senior leadership appointments. TA Digital Group LLC (TADG), the data center development arm of TA Realty, has officially announced its senior leadership appointments as the company accelerates its digital infrastructure expansion across North America. The senior leadership team is led by Tim Shaheen, whose appointment was announced in 2024. The newly named executives include:

• Ryan Day, SVP of Strategy and Finance – Brings 20+ years of experience in financial planning, real estate development, and network acquisitions, with key roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft.

• Chris Trotman, SVP of Development and Engineering – Specializes in power systems and electrical engineering, having previously held leadership positions at CloudHQ, Meta, and Rivian.

• Steve Holland, SVP of Operations – With 15+ years of experience, he previously led the data center solutions team at T5 Data Centers and was a Principal in Data Center Solutions at JLL.

• Adam Black, SVP of Design and Construction – Brings infrastructure and construction expertise, having served as Distributed Control System (DCS) Manager for Google’s Mid-Atlantic region and managed Infrastructure Construction Special Projects at Facebook.

PEOPLE MOVES: Aligned makes four executive appointments. Aligned Data Centers has announced four key executive leadership appointments to support its continued expansion and innovation:

• Michael Morris has been promoted to Chief Development Officer (CDO).

• Michael Welch has been elevated to Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

• Shelby Clark takes on the role of Chief People Officer (CPO).

• Matthew Chambliss has been promoted to EVP, Commercial Strategy and Energy.

READ: The gigabucks going into data centers.

DATA CENTER PROPERTY FOR SALE 

Click on each photo for more information.

9,945 SF, Additional 4,681 SF of Warehouse Space | Former Data Center | Comes With Large Backup Generator | Built in 2000

Renovated in 2024 | 286,610 SF, Data Center Floor Totals 38,000 SF | 10 Acres | 6 MW of Criticial Power | Able to Host 800 Racks

ONE MORE THING

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